686 days after he last lined out for Dublin and Diarmuid Connolly was back.
Joe Brolly was fuming before a ball was kicked in Omagh, and you could see his point.
The St Vincent’s forward missed the entirety of the 2018 league and championship campaigns and looked set to do likewise this year until a proposed switch to play summer football with Donegal Boston fell through.
The 31-year-old was then recalled to Dublin’s training panel and, with a semi-final spot already secured, Jim Gavin named him on the bench for the Super 8s clash with Tyrone, at Healy Park.
Then, less than an hour before throw-in, it was confirmed that Connolly was one of six changes from the starting 15 Dublin had originally named.
That was not all. Tyrone boss Mickey Harte also had changes to make to his previously named starting 15.
Lorcan Quinn was supposed to start in goal but Benny Gallen was drafted in while regular No. 1 Niall Morgan was rested.
Over on The Sunday Game, Kerry legend Colm Cooper admitted that some of the wider Dublin panel could be put out by the return of Connolly. Fellow pundit Joe Brolly took aim at county teams for making late changes and devaluing the Super 8s, and the GAA for standing idly by and allowing it.
“The game is a farce, really… We know where we are here with this. These are scratch sides. They are bringing a few lads back from injury.”
“We’ve got scratch teams and what we’re looking at here today is an entertaining friendly game,” he added.
'The game is a farce' – @JoeBrolly1993 and @colmcooper13 discuss the inclusion of the St Vincent's man against Tyrone – Watch live on @RTE2 and @RTEplayer #TheSundayGame #rtegaa pic.twitter.com/1jcwzTxqfv
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) August 4, 2019
Brolly is mad as hell and he is not taking it any more.
